At first, I wondered to myself, "How far am I willing to go for my own flesh and blood?"
The answer came as quick as the question. I would use every fiber of my being to make sure my family reached their goals if they asked for my help. When it finally happened, though, I didn't know what to think. Let's roll back a bit and start from the beginning.
My name is Daz. I usually wear gray to match my hair and eyes. I'm not very tall, but honestly that never mattered much to me. I own a large mansion thanks to a ton of stock investments that paid off, and with the money I've made, I could live in rich splendor for the rest of my life.
Money doesn't keep anyone alive, though. I learned that twice.
Seven years ago, my daughter Juliet died of cancer. She was seven. She had her mother's blue eyes and a silver streak in her hair she was weirdly proud of, and she called me Papa long after the other kids at her school had switched to Dad. A year later, my wife Jane's heart gave out. A heart attack, the doctors said. Sudden, massive, nothing anyone could have caught. Personally, I think it broke first and stopped second.
After that, I stopped feeling most things. I'm not saying that to be dramatic. It's just a fact, like my eye color.
Three years ago, we lost our parents to cancer as well. That left me with two people: my younger brother Agnus, who looks like a younger version of me, and his wife Cindy. Cindy was the one who sat with Agnus after the funeral, and those two were the closest people in my life. That was until the incident happened.
About five months ago, a few men did unspeakable things to Cindy, and it drove her to suicide. It made my younger brother want to commit murder. I didn't want him to stain his hands red, so I did everything I could to make it right. I called a few friends who happen to be amazing lawyers, and every one of the men who did those heinous things to my sister-in-law got the death penalty. Now that technology has advanced to the point where deep-dive VR exists, the laws for crimes like that have become even more severe.
It didn't settle Agnus's heart. Cindy was still gone. But around then, both of us saw an advertisement for a game. A game called Satisfy, which would change our lives for better or worse.
Back to the present.
Agnus and I chose two different paths, or in this case two different classes, to reach the same goal: to bring the people we lost back into this second world called Satisfy. For him, that means Cindy. For me, it means Jane and Juliet.
To others it's just a video game. Based on what I've seen of this game and the rifts it has already caused, it's much more than that.
Agnus chose the Necromancer class. I went with a very unorthodox class after switching from my warrior class. When I tried to look it up, the online community had never heard of it. It was called Golem Maker.
We decided to go our separate ways for now, since both of our classes were meant for solo play and I didn't want to hold Agnus back until I got stronger. My level also reset when I took the class. My current status says it all.
Name: Daz
Level: 1
Class: Golem Maker (Rare, Hidden)
Experience can only be gained through the golems the user creates, not through the user.The probability of adding a class to a created golem increases with the inspiration used.If a class is added to a golem, it can only grow one rating higher than the user's class.
Title: One Who Defies Logic And Reason
High resistance to abnormal conditions.The growth of the class depends on the determination of the user.Tinkerers will acknowledge the user more easily, but will show disdain if their skill vastly outweighs the user's.There is a small chance of negating all lethal damage taken for one minute.When the user's health is at its minimum, a golem can sacrifice health equal to 50% of the user's health so the user survives with that amount. Can be activated three times a day.
Health: 4/4 Mana: 25/25
Strength: 1 Stamina: 4 Agility: 0.5
Intelligence: 4 Dexterity: 2 Insight: 2
Stat Points: 0
Weight: 90/200
[Golem Mimic]
Lv. Basic
Copies a skill that a golem created by the user can use. The duration varies depending on the skill copied.
[Golem Craftsmanship Skill]
Lv. Basic
Able to craft a variety of golems, limited only by the user's imagination. How easily materials can be used depends on the rank of this skill.
There is a certain probability of creating a normal golem with a class.There is a low probability of creating a normal golem with a rare class.There is a rare probability of creating a rare golem with a normal class.There is a very rare probability of creating a rare golem with a rare class.
The rating of a golem determines how far it can grow. Each golem has different qualifications for breaking through to the next stage.
When a golem is defeated or killed, it is not destroyed. It is recalled to the inventory, cannot be dropped, and recovers over time depending on the severity of the damage.When a normal golem with a rare class is produced, all primary stats permanently rise by +1.When a rare golem with a normal class is produced, all primary stats rise by +2 and reputation throughout the continent permanently rises by +10.When a rare golem with a rare class is produced, all stats rise by +3 and reputation throughout the continent permanently rises by +20.When a growth-type golem is produced, all stats rise by +5 and reputation throughout the continent permanently rises by +25.When a growth-type golem with a growth-type class is produced, all stats rise by +10 and reputation throughout the continent permanently rises by +50.Stat increases do not apply to golems made with the 'Golem Creation' skill.
[Golem Understanding]
Lv. 1
Observe a target to use as the basis for a golem. The time needed to fully understand the target depends on the target's strength.
At the current level, the user cannot observe targets rated higher than rare, unless the target's current strength is equivalent to a normal or rare class of the same level.
[Golem Craftsmanship]
Lv. 1
Produce golems you know how to make. Enemies can now drop golem production methods on death.
There is a certain probability of producing normal golems with or without normal classes.There is a rare probability of creating normal golems with rare classes, or rare golems with no class.There is a very rare probability of creating a rare golem with a rare class, or a growth golem with a growth class of normal or rare rating.There is a minuscule probability of creating an epic golem with or without a class.All stats of golems increase by 4%.Golems give 10% of their experience to the user. This amount is fixed and cannot be changed.Golems without a class can gain one through special actions, depending on the class.Something special will happen when five growth golems with classes are created.
[Golem Creation]
Lv. 1
Create two golems of your own design every time this skill levels up.
Golems that can be made: 2/2
The details decided when the golem is made determine what type of golem it is and how powerful it will become.Golems produced with this skill carry the user's name in their description.
"There is so much to break down here!"
Why did I have to help an old beggar who happened to be a tinkerer? Why did I give him money? Did I feel pity for the man? No. Like I said, I lost most of my emotions a long time ago. I really did it because I was hoping for a quest, and I ended up with this instead! This could be a huge boon for me.
The biggest thing I noticed was that the moment I gave that beggar money and helped him, he disappeared. Right now I'm in a village called Bairan. My best move was to leave and head to a lower-level village or town. First, though, I needed to see if anyone caught my eye, so I could use Golem Understanding on them and get a good production method.
I noticed someone in the middle of the village, and from his facial expression, he seemed to be mentally screaming to the heavens. He had some moderate warrior gear equipped, and it seemed like a good idea to get a front-liner first.
However, I want to make a female golem. That way, if I somehow run into him in the future and he sees the golem, he won't think of it as his female counterpart. It definitely isn't because I want all of my golems to be female or anything.
I used Golem Understanding on him while hiding in the distance.
[Scanning target....]
[The target has an extremely underdeveloped legendary class. Because of this, no title will be gained. Would you like to use Golem Understanding to create a one-time, limited-use golem production method of the user 'Grid'?]
"!"
"Holy grand moly! I think I'm going blind!"
I read it again and again without losing sight of 'Grid', and it didn't change. After calming myself down somewhat, I realized I'd just hit the damn jackpot! I'd also found out who caused that global announcement. I won't reveal him, though, since that would mean revealing myself too. I'll just silently observe him, hee hee.
[The user has chosen to use Golem Understanding on the user 'Grid'. Due to the extremely underdeveloped state of the user 'Grid's' class, the golem in this limited-use production method will be reduced to a normal (growth) type golem with the growth-type class Pagma's Kin (Normal). Creating the method will take 7 hours, and the target must stay in constant view. Otherwise, the skill will be paused. Do you wish to proceed?]
"Yes, yes, a thousand times YES!"
The excitement I'd been trying to keep down exploded in that moment. If I weren't in a fairly remote corner of the village, people would have looked at me like I was a pervert or a creep. Right now, though, nothing matters other than stalk..... I mean, following this 'Grid' person.
After Grid finished lamenting, I saw him go to a horse-drawn carriage. I decided against eavesdropping on the conversation and just kept an eye on him. I truly didn't want to be labeled a stalker. From the hand gestures they were making, Grid seemed to be bartering with the coachman. After about 15 minutes, it seemed the negotiations had failed, and I saw him walk to the corner of the street and start interacting with the system.
Of course, I just stood off to the side and observed him. He seemed very oblivious, but that was probably just my imagination. I confirmed he was using the system when he sat on a bench with a serious lack of onlookers and started waving both hands around. He was probably designing something, likely for his class.
While I was observing Grid, I decided to whisper Agnus to see how he was doing.
Daz: Hey Agnus! What are you up to? Find any good corpses to revive and fight with?
Agnus: Bro, it's been a while since you contacted me. What have you been up to? Also, I managed to get a few strong skeleton warriors and mages, so I should be able to level a lot faster now.
Daz: Agnus, I'm going to need you to listen to me without going crazy, okay?
Agnus: Bro, what's going on? Is it something bad? I'll start raising hell with my undead if it is.
Daz: Don't worry, man, it's nothing bad. You remember my skill Golem Understanding, from when I sent you the details of my class?
Agnus: Yeah... what about it? Wait... don't tell me you managed to observe someone with a low-level epic class!
Daz: Hah, no. It isn't something as weak as an epic class.
Agnus: Hold on. You mean you managed to observe someone with a unique class? Daz, don't tell me you're pulling my leg right now, because I find that hard to believe.
Daz: Well, Agnus, let me tell you. Within seven hours, I will have observed a Legendary class! The same one from the global announcement. The only downside is that since they're low-level, the one golem I can make from it will degrade to a normal growth-type golem with a normal class that can also grow.
Agnus: Daz... I think you're seriously underestimating growth-type classes. From my research, those classes can grow all the way to unique rating, and since this one originally came from a legendary class, I imagine it can grow to that point too! Heck, with that title of yours, it might go even beyond that! Ha!
Daz: Seriously?! Damn, bro! Sorry to cut this short, but I've got to go. The downside of this skill is that I have to keep my eyes on the target for the whole duration. Talk to you later, Agnus! Visit my house when you get a chance. You can even move in if you want!
I closed the whisper window, and only then noticed my hands were shaking.
I didn't tell Agnus the other half of it. A legendary class meant a legendary ceiling. Somewhere under that ceiling, maybe, was a way to hear a little girl call me Papa again.
I fixed my eyes back on Grid and settled in for seven hours of absolutely-not-stalking.